Indian Roller - Coracias benghalensis

Common Name :	Indian Roller.
Binomial Name :	Coracias benghalensis
Family :	Coraciidae
Bengali Name :	Nilkontho (নীলকন্ঠ), Nilkanto (নীলকান্ত).
Photo Taken :	Bangladesh

It is a very beautiful and colorful small bird from our country. Its name is NilKontho (নীলকন্ঠ), NilKanto (নীলকান্ত), etc. Rest of the world commonly knows this bird as Indian Roller as it does twists and turnings in air like aerobatic display. Its scientific name is Coracias benghalensis. The species name benghalensis came after the Bengal which means it's pretty much native to our Bengal region. It belongs to the bird family Coraciidae.

An Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) perched on an electric wire.

Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a colorful bird and looks most beautiful when it's in flight. The wings are having a delicate touch of deep blue and light blue. Its breast is brownish and that distinguishes it from the European Roller which is almost similar. Indian Roller has a blue crown (or head). Male female birds are not that much distinguishable.

An Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) having a curved beak.

Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) uses to perch on a high branch of a tree. They descend to ground for feeding and mostly are insects like beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, etc. Their breeding time is May-June and they make nest in a tree hole (made by woodpecker) or buildings. It has a harsh chack sound which is nearly similar to crow.

Atin Bandyopadhyay wrote a novel in Bengali language named Nilkontho Pakhir Khoje. I didn't read that book ever. From the name of the book I thought (when I was a kid) it would be a fictional bird and never existed in real.

I've seen Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) first time at Sajek, Rangamati. It was just before the sunset, the light was low and the Roller was slightly far from me and was perching on a tree amid the valley in small hills. It was the month of September 2014. Later I've noticed this bird several times in many places in Bangladesh.

An Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) perched on high branch and preening.

Back side of an Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis).

Photos of Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) were taken from the following locations.
1. September 2014: Sajek, Rangamati.
2. November 2014: Atkandi, Narshingdi.


This article is written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://icbird.blogspot.com/